Chapter 52

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin patted the Old Lady's back and said softly:

"Grandmother, do not be angry."

Seeing that even the Old Lady knew of this matter, Jun Jun Yiyi was so frightened that she kept her head down, daring not to speak. The Old Lady did not much like Jun Jun Yiyi, whose mind was complex at such a young age and who was two-faced; Jun Jun Yiyi had been somewhat afraid of the Old Lady since childhood.

The Eldest Lady feared Jun Jun Yiyi could not withstand the pressure and would be sold out again, so her heart hammered like a drum. She kept giving Jun Jun Yiyi looks, but even though the Eldest Lady's eyes twitched from blinking so much, Jun Jun Yiyi kept her head down the whole time and could not see them.

"Old Lady, is there any need to ask? How could a young miss like the eldest daughter have such filthy things? It must have been given by the Eldest Lady."

Li Shi had just entered the room and heard the Old Lady's question; without thinking twice, she spoke. Her daughter was about to marry into the Imperial Prince's residence, and now she was not so afraid of the First House.

How could the Eldest Lady bear to hear such words? "Li Shi, do not slander me with blood in your mouth. How could I have given Jun Yiyi such things? As for you, accusing me so eagerly, I fear you have something to hide."

Li Shi let out a cold sneer:

"Why does the Eldest Lady need to argue? This thing appeared in the eldest daughter's possession; who else could it be but you? Could it be that the eldest daughter obtained it herself?"

At this moment, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, who had not spoken until now, slowly said, "Mother, this matter concerns me and the third sister. Since you are now the person most suspected, to prove your innocence, Mother surely will not stop us from searching your room, will you?"

The Old Lady nodded: "The second daughter speaks with reason. Nanny Wang, take people to search Cuiyu Courtyard; search inside and out thoroughly."

The Eldest Lady never expected this wretched girl to directly demand a search of her room and was unwilling to agree. In the split second she stood stunned, she missed her chance; the Old Lady had already given the order.

The Eldest Lady felt an ominous premonition surge through her heart instantly. Although she had already disposed of that medicine cleanly, now that people had entered the room, there was no guarantee other mishaps would not occur.

This was precisely Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's purpose. With the Eldest Lady's scheming, she would not have placed evidence in her own room where a search would find it immediately, but there was no guarantee other things would not be found. Seeing Jun Jun Zijin was certain that there were some things the Eldest Lady would absolutely not place in others' hands.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin gave a glance to Xiao He; Xiao He understood the signal and quietly withdrew.

On this side, Nanny Wang led a group of servants charging into the Eldest Lady's room with great momentum. Without a word, they began overturning chests and cabinets. Everyone searched every corner but did not find the trace of the legendary medicine.

Just as everyone thought this search would end in failure, Xiao He nearby suddenly cried out in surprise. It turned out she had "accidentally" discovered a wooden box under the Eldest Lady's bed. Xiao He dragged it out, opened it, and saw several account books neatly arranged inside.

Xiao He "curiously" flipped open one of them at random, turned a few pages quickly, her eyes lit up, and her lips curled upward. Hey, there must be quite a bit of foul play in here! Even if the Eldest Lady did not fall this time, she would surely lose a layer of skin. The Young Lady was right; if you don't watch a good show, you're a bastard. What are you waiting for? Xiao He raised her voice and shouted at Nanny Wang, who was still buried in her hard search:

"Nanny Wang, come quickly and take a look at these account books. I feel there is something strange inside..."

Nanny Wang picked up an account book and began to read, greatly shocked in her heart:

"Good heavens! So the silver in the household has all been used to fill the Wu family's holes! This matter is no small affair; we must report it to the Old Lady immediately!"

Nanny Wang hugged the box and ran straight to the front hall.

Not long after, Nanny Wang arrived at the front hall, panting heavily. She did not bother to wipe the bead-sized sweat from her forehead but immediately bowed and said:

"Old Lady, this old servant failed to find that medicine, but instead found this thing." Having spoken, Nanny Wang leaned close to the Old Lady's ear and whispered a few words.

Upon hearing this, the Old Lady was first stunned, then her face showed an expression of shock:

"Could this be true?"

The Old Lady took an account book from Nanny Wang's arms and began to read. The more she read, the more her heart trembled, and her expression became increasingly Solemn.

"Zhengming, come and take a look." Suppressing the anger in her heart, the Old Lady turned and said to Xiang Xiang Junzheng.

At the very moment Nanny Wang entered carrying that box, the Eldest Lady, who had been sitting upright on the chair but with a restless heart, felt her heart sink heavily. She knew things were going badly. She stared tightly at the box in Nanny Wang's hands, her eyes revealing a nervousness that was hard to conceal.

At this moment, the Eldest Lady felt her frantic heartbeat like drumbeats, as if it were about to burst through her chest. A layer of fine sweat had seeped from the Eldest Lady's palms, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the corner of her robe tightly. But she had to pretend to be calm; she subconsciously took a deep breath, raised her chin slightly, straightened her back, and did not let others see her inner panic.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng, who did not understand the situation, took the account book and examined it carefully. He saw that it recorded how the Eldest Lady had misappropriated public funds to subsidize her natal family, with huge amounts and hidden methods. The more Xiang Xiang Junzheng read, the more shocked and angry he became, and his hands trembled involuntarily.

"Wretched woman!" Xiang Xiang Junzheng grabbed the teacup before him and threw it at the Eldest Lady.

With a "Crack!" sound, the teacup struck the Eldest Lady's forehead without missing, and blood immediately appeared.

The Eldest Lady cried out "Ow!" in pain, and ignoring the blood flowing from her head, she knelt down with a "Thud!" and wailed:

"Master, this concubine knows her mistake. It was only that my natal family was truly in difficulty at the time; this concubine was confused for a moment and committed this error. I beg Master to show mercy."

"No wonder there is never any money in the public coffers! Last year, when repairing the Old Lady's courtyard, you said there was no money. When the Old Lady needed medicine and tonics, you also said there was no money. When the second daughter returned to the residence to host guests, you also said there was no money. It turns out the money is all in your natal family!" Xiang Xiang Junzheng felt the veins on his head throbbing violently.

"Back then, when your natal family fell into trouble and your father and brothers were imprisoned, I kept you in the outer courtyard, pulled your father and brothers out of the great prison, bought them a house and land to settle them. How did you repay me? No wonder your idle and lazy brother had money to buy an official post and concubines; it turns out to be like this. You poisonous woman, not only did you mistreat my legitimate daughter, but you also drained my Jun family. Why do you not think of Jun Yiyi? What use do I have for a mistress of the household like you?"

Back then, the Wu father and brothers had embezzled and were imprisoned, and the family declined. The two Wu sisters sang for a living in an entertainment house. The elder Wu met Xiang Xiang Junzheng and became his outer wife. It was Xiang Xiang Junzheng who pulled her father and brothers out of prison and placed several mu of land in the suburbs of Jingcheng to settle the Wu natal family. Although they were not extremely wealthy, they had more than enough to live on. Later, the Wu family opened several shops and started doing business. Wu's elder brother, who loved ease and hated work, even bought the official post of Main Clerk of the Armory Bureau, bought a large mansion in Jingcheng, and took several concubines.

"Master! I beg you to spare this concubine this once. I did this for Jun Yiyi!" The Eldest Lady was dumbfounded. She admitted all the charges Xiang Xiang Junzheng listed against her. As for the legitimate daughter, Jun Jun Yiyi was also a legitimate daughter; when had she ever mistreated Jun Jun Yiyi? Was it not because she wanted her own daughter to have a stronger external family?

"Is this how you treat her well?" Xiang Xiang Junzheng's eyes held not a shred of emotion as he stared straight at the Eldest Lady.

"Today I will divorce you!"

Upon hearing the words "divorce," the Eldest Lady was struck as if by lightning and collapsed to the ground. The maids and nannies nearby were so frightened they dared not breathe.

At this time, Jun Jun Yiyi, who had been standing dazed, rushed over:

"Father, although Mother has erred, I beg you to give her another chance."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng let out a cold snort:

"Do not plead for her. What she has done is unforgivable."

"Master, this concubine is willing to sell all private assets to fill the deficit in the public coffers. From now on, I will devote myself entirely to managing the household and will never make such a mistake again." Wu Shi begged.

Hearing this, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin let out a cold sneer in her heart. Who did not know how Wu Shi had entered the Jun residence originally? Where did she get any private assets?

"Father, if you divorce Mother, how can I, your daughter, face people in the future? Moreover, Mother also wanted to provide a reliance for her daughter in the future." Jun Jun Yiyi also pleaded with tears streaming down her face.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng looked at Jun Jun Yiyi, who was crying like a pear blossom in the rain, felt reluctant, and wavered somewhat.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, who had watched the play enough, let out a cold sneer in her heart and spoke softly:

"Father, why not let Mother hand over the household accounts? Let us spare Mother this time." If Xiang Xiang Junzheng merely divorced Wu Shi today, it would not be so easy; the original host had suffered six years of hardship on the estate and even lost her life.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng looked at Seeing Jun Jun Zijin with an ambiguous expression, pondered for a moment, and slowly said:

"Very well. Wu Shi, this time your fault is temporarily recorded. If there is any further mistake, I will certainly not forgive lightly. But you can no longer manage the Jun household accounts under any circumstances. You will hand over the household accounts to Mother. From today on, you must stay in Cuiyu Courtyard in self-imposed confinement to reflect. You are not allowed to come out without my permission."

The Eldest Lady's face showed great unwillingness. Handing over the household accounts was equivalent to taking her life! But thinking that handing over the household accounts was better than being divorced by Xiang Xiang Junzheng, after some calculation, the Eldest Lady could only suppress all her unwillingness.

The Old Lady slowly opened her mouth:

"Wu Shi, hand over the keys to the public coffers and all account books."

"Mother, my mother's dowry and the shops accompanying her dowry are also in your hands. Mother, please return them all to me today, so that when you sell private assets, you do not accidentally include them."